The Happiness of Hounds: dog café set to open in Shoreditch this year

A café with a menu catering specifically for dogs could be coming to east London this year.

Kristjan Byfield, 34 and his wife Hayley, 35, are planning to set up the eatery, thought to be the first of its kind in the capital, by May.

The couple, who live in Enfield with their dogs Daisy, Duke and Diamond, have their sights set on trendy Shoreditch for their canine business venture called The Happiness of Hounds.

They hope to serve a range of nutritional baked treats and even plan to offer a selection of herbal teas for thirsty pups.

Meanwhile human customers will be able to chow down on pastries, artisan breads and savoury muffins.

Plans: the couple hope to open the café in east London this year
The café will form part of a wider doggy hub, which its owners hope will offer everything from canine talks to dog fashion shows.

Kristjan, who owns an estate agents in east London, will be running the hub with business partner An Deckers.

He said the reaction to the idea so far from fellow dog lovers had been “phenomenal”.

“We are really excited because we're doing something that has not really been done before,” he said. “Particularly in London, the convenience and community created by this should be fantastic. There are some great businesses tackling individual aspects [of dog care] but nothing delivering a complete solution”.

Unlike Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium in Bethnal Green, which plans to rehome felines at its venue, Kristjan says Happiness of Hounds will have no resident dogs because it would be cruel to keep them in cages overnight.

Instead visitors will be encouraged to get to know the mutts brought in by customers.

He said: “Landlords in London often won't allow pets. We've had e-mails from people saying they want to come in and see the dogs.

“It is about the fun and the affection people have for dogs. We've already had multiple requests to set up something similar in Oxford, Glasgow and Liverpool. The response we are getting from the dog community is amazing.”